Looking for Occupational Therapist Schools near Marathon, FL? Let us help you locate the best OTA school for you!

After youbegin your search for Occupational therapy Assistant schools in Marathon, FL, you will probablysoonlearn that there has never been a better time for you togo after a career as an OTA. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statisticsanticipates jobs in thisindustry to expand by 43% over the ten year period 2010-2020, this equals over 12,000 new Occupational Therapy Assistant jobs! The better news is that the medianOccupational Therapy Assistant wageis greater than $53,000 yearlywhich makes itamongst the best paying healthcarevocations that does not require a University Degree.

Occupational Therapy Schools in Marathon, FL

The initial steptowards a career as an OTA is selecting the bestOccupational Therapy School. There are at this timejust abouttwo hundred accredited occupational therapy schools in the US and Puerto Rico and nearly all the schools accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) offer Occupational Therapist Assistant degrees and Master’s Degrees, with many also offering Doctoral degrees. Before youjump in andpick a training program, make sure youexamine all of the optionsand makecertainyou choose an Occupational Therapy training program that suits all your needs.

Accreditation

Accreditation by the ACOTE is recommended because you will bereassuredthat you willlearn about the full array ofcompetenciesneeded to bea qualified OTA.

Curriculum

Occupational Therapy Assistants assist patients on an array ofconditions and disorders making itreally important that your schooling is very diversifiedrather then too dedicated toa particulardiscipline.

Clinical Training

Another importantvariableyou should think about is the clinical education experience. This is thepractical training, itis whereyou actually interact with actual patients and put your skills to use. Some schools allocatesubstantially more time on your actual practicalexperience in comparison toothers. In situations where your school is not spendinga large amount of time with clinical instructing, be sure that youask why.

Class Size

Something else to consider is the class size. The size of your classwill vary considerably from college to college. Make sure you find out the class sizes at the schools you are researching. Keep in mind, the smaller the classes , the more one-on-one timeyou will get with theprofessors.

Online Classes

Taking Occupational Therapy Classes Online do not work for each individual student. Yet, for many of us online training can relievea few of the burdens of being a full time student. Job and loved onesare often timesdriven aside as students carry on their training and online classes can offera little flexibility to a busy schedule.

Graduation Rate

The lastthingyou might want tolook atbefore choosing an Occupational Therapy School is the graduation rate of the schoolsyou are considering. Make sure that you find out how many traineesgraduate from the program, what their evaluations were, and just how many of them have gone on tocareers as OTA’s.

Recommended Occupational Therapy Schools in Marathon, FL

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What to Expect in OTA School

Generally the course work is approximately24 months, with the first year consisting of primarilyclassroominstruction and with the second year spent going through hands on training in a medical center or private medicaloffice. Some of the course work a student will have to take includes pediatrics, gerontology, health carejargon, and physical rehabilitation. All States that require licensure simply wanta 2 year degree. A Bachelor’s Degree is going to benecessaryif you intend on becoming a full Occupational Therapist, but the truth is you will find that a majority of Occupational Therapist launched their careers as Assistants and obtained their Bachelor’s Degrees some time later.

Licensing Information and Facts

Following graduation, those wanting tobegin their careers need to become certified as an occupational therapist assistant. Each State has its own policies and regulationsthat will be governed by an occupational therapy board, with some being private while others are run by the State exclusively. In Florida, licensing is controlled by the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice. Even thougheach State is different, there are a number of requirements which happen to be common among many of them and include the following.

Someoneapplying for an occupational therapy assistant licensewill have to be a U.S. citizen, will need to have a social security number and is required to have taken and passedapplicable college course work in addition to having taken and passed the NBCOT exam.

Each State requires a federal background check , although convictions are not alwaysautomatic grounds for dismissal. A handful of States may consider processing an occupational therapy license as long as a written affidavit is submitted to explain the circumstances of the conviction. Additional factors including time frame and nature of the criminal offense may be assessed and be considered to grant licensure .

Each State will have an Occupational Therapy Assistant licensure packetthat is going toinclude several forms to complete. Neverspend money on these forms from a third party as they can be accessed online from many reputableweb sites. It is recommended to take a very in depth look through the forms before trying to complete them. It will have official transcripts necessary; notarized signatures and several States will require you to include a fingerprint card which may be completed at a local police station.

Work Environment for Occupational Therapy Assistants

An OTA will work with a range of patients which have needs that may becompletely different the previous patient. You may beworking in an outpatient facility with small childrenwho may have food or texture aversions or maybe a hospital rehab center working with a middle age man with psychological and mental struggles . Though an occupational therapy assistant hasa large number of job skills, a few of the basics like following direction, keeping up to date with the freshest techniques and learning and using the available technologyare the most important. Finally, a COTA must also be reasonably physically fit, becausethere will be many instances of moving patients around, such as from a bed to a wheel chair.

If this sounds like a career your interested in, then take a few minutes and visit the search form at the top of this page. You will be shown a list of schools near Marathon, FL that offer Occupational Therapy Assistant classes. Request information from as many schools as you’d like, and good luck in your future career!

Occupational Therapy Schools in Marathon, FL reviewed by Reagan RUIZ on June 12.

Terrific Source of Info

Thank You for sharing such an informative website. I was able to find great info about the various schools in my area and chose one that worked for me. I’m now ready to start my classes and can’t wait to become an Occupational Therapy Assistant.